Here is this week’s thermometer–this week is a mixture of interesting, ridiculous, concerning, and tragic articles. My takes on these articles are brief, so if you have a take on one of these stories, please leave a comment. Also, feel free to leave a question in the comments section.

1. The “Millennials” Are Coming”: This article from CBS News reports that America’s 20-somethings, also known as “millennials” are changing the American workplace. The article reports that millennials are self-centered, tech savvy, and incredibly sensitive. They need to be coached in their jobs rather than commanded–after all, millennials grew up getting trophies just for showing up and constantly being told by their parents how great they are no matter how they perform in a given area. Thus the article reports that the millennials’ work ethic is different from his baby boomer forbears–millennials think all they have to do is show up and when things get difficult they just float to a new and easier job. Millennials are also refusing to grow up, the article reports that more than 50% of college seniors move back home after graduation!

These critiques of my generation (I am a 20-something, after all) are not new, but it ought to cause us pause to think about how much of the self-centeredness and lazy work ethic of our generation has affected us. We are probably more influenced by these things than we are willing to admit. This article represents an important cultural shift in the 20-something generation and is a good example of why I wrote the article “Winners NEVER Quit!”

2. Rob Bell on Tour: Rob Bell is currently traveling around the country delivering a message titled “The Gods’ Aren’t Angry.” Mr. Bell said, he will present an “anthropology of religion,” looking at where humans first got the idea of gods, goddesses and deities and why people often feel that “some god or goddess somewhere” is angry “and needs to be appeased,” he said.

I have no idea what Rob Bell is saying in these messages (it doesn’t really sound good but I can’t say more than that) but what I do know is that every venue on his tour is sold out except for New York. Further 56,000 people download his sermons every week, 1.1 million people have purchased his NOOMA videos, and 500,000 copies of his two books have been sold. I am not exactly sure how influential the emerging church is right now, but if Rob Bell is any indication, its influence isn’t going away any time soon.

3. Stone Age Feminism?: This is a ridiculous article–I really scratch my head at some of the things that manage to make America’s “elite” newspapers (this one is from the Boston Globe). This article sites a new theory, based on “research,” on why Neanderthals went extinct–stone age feminism! Seriously . . . stone age feminism. Here is an excerpt from the article:

Among Neanderthals, hunting big beasts was women’s work as well as men’s, so it’s a safe bet that female hunters got stomped, gored, and worse with appalling frequency. And a high casualty rate among fertile women – the vital “reproductive core” of a tiny population – could well have meant demographic disaster for a species already struggling to survive among monster bears, yellow-fanged hyenas, and cunning homosapien newcomers.

Just for fun, lets pretend this article is accurate . . . what would that say about feminism? Clearly these scientists must be male chauvinist pigs!

4. Teen Sex is Not Linked to Delinquency?: According to this Washington Post article, new research on teen sex indicates that previous research about the link between teen sex and delinquency is inaccurate. In fact the article asserts that “youngsters who have consensual sex in their early-teen or even preteen years are, if anything, less likely to engage in delinquent behavior later on.” After reading the article I think that is far too bold a statement.

This research is being used to oppose abstinence only sex education. Suppose for a moment that the claims of this research are true–does that mean that we should not teach abstinence in sex education? Of course not, abstinence only sex education is based on moral principles and you cannot call moral principles into question simply by asserting that society has misappropriated or abused those principles. This article not only promotes a immoral sex education in our schools but also calls for the ‘relativizing’ of moral principles based on societal circumstances!

5. Should the “Lord’s Resistance Army” be Forgiven?: The Lord’s Resistance Army, a rebel group in Uganda responsible for the killing thousands of Ugandans, is asking for forgiveness for the crimes they committed against their countrymen. The LRA “terrorized and killed thousands, mutilating civilians, abducting children and displacing over a million during its 20-year rebellion in the east African nation.” Now that the rebel group has been overthrown, they are touring the country asking for forgiveness from the citizens of Uganda. Uganda called in the International Criminal Court (ICC) to try them for war crimes, the ICC would consider dropping the charges if Uganda could establish a “competent tribunal to try them.” Thus the LRA is campaigning across the country for an “‘alternative justice system’ — one based on traditional forgiveness rituals.” In other words this Rebel group, that is guilty of thousands of murders of their own countrymen, is trying to get off easy. There is no telling what will happen–the situation in Uganda is far from stable right now.

Here is a challenge for you, take 2 minutes right now and pray. Pray that God would bring justice and pray that God would use the Christians in Uganda who have faced persecution from the LRA to maintain a consistent and faithful witness to the gospel in the midst of this difficult situation.

8 Responses

1. I do so wish my generation would grow up. Responsibility isn’t that horrible. Didn’t their parents ever tell them, “When you’re the adult, you can buy yourself a happy meal, or eat a candy bar, or drive a car?” How did the generation get this way? It’s driving me crazy. I think that it affects me not only in the temptation to be lazy, but also by a society that doesn’t offer that many opportunities to do anything else. Maybe my experience is just sheltered. But it seems like even the Christians who want to do what God wills are in a staging area, unable to see where to go next.

2. The great point made my emergents is that people are searching. Every cult, I guess, recognizes this. But look at all those people who must have felt God was angry with them, and want desperately to hear that it is all right. They need to hear the truth that meets them at that recognition. Why aren’t we telling them?

3. I agree. First, it’s completely speculative. And next, doesn’t that mean that feminism is bad, pragmatically speaking? Because I’ll agree that feminism has a lot of detrimental effects on a population and culture.

4. This one makes me furious. Did they encourage the twins to lose their viginity before they were even 13? And no doubt the researchers, by simply asking questions, relieved the shame that ought to have gone with such immorality. Plus, from our perspective, we don’t just promote abstinence until high school or adulthood, but until marriage. Look at the delinquency rates between those categories! Anyway, maybe they redefined delinquency now because so many kids are having sex that there’s virtually no comparison; the entire generation is corrupted. Since when should a school or society endorse one vice over another? And they failed to eliminate the fact that there are emotional and physical consequences that have not been removed. This is no argument against teaching abstinence only. I’m so mad.

5. There’s forgiven and pardoned. I don’t think they should be pardoned. What a world, where terrorists, after being defeated, are not kept in jail cells, but are allowed to tour the country like a band or an Olympics exhibition, to campaign for their side of the legal case! It reminds me of the Communists. When they couldn’t take over Europe by war, or America by nuclear threats, they went subversive and are making great strides by lying to the general public.

That’s my take. I love these thermometers!
To God be all glory,
Lisa of Longbourn

Lisa, maybe we can hire you on as our commentator on the cultural thermometer? And of course by “hire on” I mean let you give commentary on all the articles (none of us have any money to hire anyone to do anything!)! But seriously thanks for sharing your thoughts.

I think you are right about the Teen Sex article–the conclusions of this research are subject at best. And you are right no one is talking about the emotional baggage that many of these teens (especially teen girls) carry because of their behavior.

The Caveman article was supposed to be funny–but yeah I think feminism does have a lot of negative effects on society because it calls into question the roles that God infused into men and women since creation (c.f. Eph 5, 1 Peter 3, 1 Cor 11). As a side note I am an complementarian–meaning that women and men are completely equal (Gal 3:28) but have been created for differnt roles.

I included the article about Uganda and the LRA because I don’t want the Cultural Thermometer to become a commentary only on American Culture. We have been given a commission to take the gospel to ALL nations–our culture must extend beyond the U.S.A. So I hope from time to time to bring up difficult situations across the globe in which we can be praying for brothers and sisters in Christ.

Kevin, I look forward to your post on Carson’s book. I am currently reading a old but significant book by an emergent forbear, I might write something in conjuction with your post if you think that would be helpful. More on that later!

I have a friend who went to Uganda at least twice, and she loved the people there. She got to see a whole family of Muslims saved by Jesus Christ. Every time people around her say “kids in Uganda,” her already ever-present smile turns enormous. She said that the government there, post-war, was one of the best in Africa at fighting AIDS because they teach abstinence. So I thought it was an interesting connection.

Drew, just read Buzzard’s blog. It was THE, or at least one of the best posts I’ve read about Rob Bell and the tendency for Emerging leaders to avoid talking about the radical implications of sin, the need for penal substitutionary atonement including imputation, and their alarming slide toward universalism in their teaching.

I’ve outlined ‘Becoming Coversant . . .’ and I will review the book, then critique the Emerging Church movement, primarilly by taking a closer look at Pagitt and Bell. If Buzzard’s post is on the money (and I think it is), then even if Pagitt’s blunders are more obvious, Bell’s influence, communication skills, personality, etc. make his teachings potentially more dangerous than McLaren’s and Campolo’s.

I need to say this too. Campolo came to WBU and preached @ chapel my junior year. I’ve probably only heard one or two better communicators. I bought his book and ate it. Read it twice in a few weeks, and then read another. It took me two years to see how incredibly different his gospel and view of God was from the Bible’s. Then again, if I lived near him and had the chance to hang out with him, I think I’d really like him. He is also smart and painstakingly articulate.

But that doesn’t mean that I’m going to sit on my hands, approve error for sake of liking the guy.

There are times when it is more loving to confront error with humility (even if you’ve got to do it the hard way) than to sit and watch it all go down. Doing it, however, is not going to produce truth/correction/repentance except by God’s grace.

I just read a novel by George MacDonald, which despite being fiction contained a good deal of theology in it. He seems to be a transcendentalist, believes strongly in obedience and lonely meditation in nature to hear God’s voice. Sounds familiar. And his book, The Highlander’s Last Song, makes it seem like he is a universalist who believes in this life or sometime after, all men will be saved. This, of course, does not match the Bible. But CS Lewis has said similar things, and he was influenced by George MacDonald (a great writer), by his own admission. Emergent stuff isn’t really new, is it?
To God be all glory,
Lisa of Longbourn

I think there is much that isn’t all that new about the emergent church (probably ought to be distinguished from emerging church). What is new is the packaging and the attitude and the culture. There is much we can learn from the emerging church and much to be concerned about I think. Kevin will be blogging on it soon and I hope to post some book reviews of some emergent books I am reading in the near future. It should be interesting!